Love Missed
by CenTemp
Summary: Weiss doesn't know much about her own partner's past. Ruby has been disappearing occasionally for reasons that not even Yang could provide. The heiress is determined to find out what her leader is up to, and she finally has the chance to follow the girl. One-shot.


**A/N: This is my first story. I decided that Ruby and Weiss could use a moment that brings them closer together as friends. Weiss deserves to learn more about Ruby's past. Blake and Yang had their moment in Burning the Candle, so it's time for Ruby and Weiss. This is NOT White Rose though (as much as I ship the crap out of it). Be sure to read Ruby's Birthday. My friend Daniel wrote that one and he needs all the feedback he can get. Enjoy.**

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><p>Weiss could see the signs all too clearly. After waking up with her body protesting, she noticed that Ruby wasn't her cheery self. After multiple occurrences, she knew that Ruby's less than ecstatic mood meant that the young leader was going to disappear for the day. This had already happened on more than one occasion. The scarred teen couldn't stand it when her partner went out into who-knows-where on her own. But today, she would find out the girl's secret.<p>

It infuriated her to know that her leader, partner, and best friend would hide so much from the heiress. She was determined to follow the girl and uncover the mystery of her outings. Luckily, the normally bubbly 15-year-old didn't notice that Weiss was actually awake while preparing for her day. Ruby was already changed into her usual attire, including the crimson hood that she held so dear. As soon as she left the room, Weiss hurried to disrobe and replace her sleeping gown with her combat skirt and jacket. She grabbed her tiara and began to pull her hair into a pony tail as she ran out the door, careful not to alert Ruby to her presence.

The heiress was thankful that Ruby didn't use her semblance to traverse the many hills and trees that she walked through. It's no wonder she always left so early in the morning. Wherever it was that she was going seemed to take hours to reach. But then the unthinkable happened. Weiss lost sight of Ruby. She frantically searched around, using her glyphs to jump up to great heights and survey the area. The scarred first-year noticed a multitude of evaporating beowolf corpses. Bringing herself back to the ground, she darted toward the path of death that, no doubt, Ruby left in her wake. The amount of dead grimm peppering the heiress's vision while following the trail was enormous. She couldn't believe how destructive her goofy, bubbly, dork of a leader could be.

When Weiss reached end of the trail, all she saw was a crouching, red-hooded teen facing away from her. She called out, "Ruby!" The girl didn't answer. "What are you doing out here! You could have been seriously hurt fighting all of these beowolves, you dolt! What were you thinking?!" The leader still wouldn't acknowledge her partner's presence. "Don't ignore me! What do you have to say for yourself?!" Weiss then noticed that Ruby was shaking. Even surrounded by snow, Weiss could see exactly what was causing the trembling. She was all too familiar with the sight. Ruby was crying.

"You injured yourself, didn't you? You dunce." The heiress began to walk toward her leader to see where she was hurt. As soon as she got closer, she gasped. Ruby wasn't hurt. She was crouched in front of a stone slab. It was unmistakable. The young leader was crying in front of a gravestone. Weiss began to read the words. _Summer Rose. Thus I kindly scatter_.

She immediately felt awful for shouting at the grieving crimsonette. "Oh Ruby." The heiress crouched down and pulled her leader into a tight hug. Ruby buried her face into her partner's shoulder. Something about Weiss's clothing made the girl cry more. It was white, like her mother's cloak. Weiss could feel her shoulder grow damp. It broke her heart to see that the one girl who was constantly joyful and hyperactive could be broken down so much. As much as she fought them, tears managed to escape from the heiress's eyes. She hated herself for yelling at Ruby.

Rubbing her leader's back, Weiss began to talk. "Ruby, I'm sorry. I never thought that you could have lost someone." Ruby still couldn't reply. She was still sobbing into Weiss's jacket. The heiress held her even tighter. The two just sat there, holding each other, for what seemed like an eternity. Weiss had long since let all of her tears begin to flow. The silence was finally broken by the younger of the two. "Weiss." Her voice was shaky and hoarse. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," the heiress snapped back at her. "Please, just… don't come back out here alone. Promise me you won't."

Fighting the hiccups and sobs, Ruby managed to reply, "I promise Weiss. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Ruby just kept repeating those words.

The heiress interrupted the leader, "Stop apologizing. Let's just go back to Beacon." Ruby didn't say anything, but Weiss could feel her nodding in her shoulder. After a few more seconds of sobbing, the partners finally broke from their hug. Weiss was taken aback when she saw Ruby's face. Her eyes were red and her face was something the heiress never even imagined seeing. It was despaired. More tears found their way down Weiss's face. She finally spoke again. "Let's go."

The pair of huntresses in training began their long walk back to Beacon Academy. A significant portion of their stroll was accompanied only by uncomfortable silence. Weiss desperately wanted to say something to lift her partner's spirits, but every time she opened her mouth, nothing came out. Eventually, Ruby was the one to break the silence.

"My mom used to be a huntress. Same with my dad. He was a teacher at Signal and my mom would take on missions everywhere. She's the reason I decided to become a huntress. I can't remember everything about her, but I know she made the best cookies in the world. She even made this hood." Weiss was just glad to hear Ruby talk. "What happened to her?" Ruby stopped walking for a moment. "I still don't know what happened exactly, but one day she left for another mission, and that was the last time I ever saw her."

The heiress frowned after hearing the last part. She couldn't imagine Ruby having to go through something as horrible as losing her mother.

"After that, my dad didn't really do much. He still went to Signal to teach and still does, but for a long time, it seemed like he was just going through the motions."

Weiss pondered how a girl with no mother and barely a father could be so cheerful all of the time. "Who took care of you, then?" Ruby's smile warmed up Weiss a bit. "Yang did. She was always there to help me when I felt… lost. She would sing to me songs that my mom would sing before bed, she would bake cookies for me, and she would read stories to me. Stories of heroes. She would even let me sleep in her bed if I had a nightmare. Somewhere along the line, I started to depend on her. I guess the fact that I cling to her so much is why I have so much trouble with meeting new people."

The older girl just nodded and listened. Ruby was showing a side that she kept hidden from, well, everyone. Weiss was not going to pass this up. "Ruby… I'm sorry. I never even considered that you of all people would have such a… sad past."

"It's fine, Weiss."

The heiress shook her head. "No. It's not. We're partners. We're supposed to be looking out for each other. You've done nothing less than exactly that for me, and I haven't returned the favor."

"What about that Death Stalker in the Emerald Forest?"

"That's not what I meant. I mean we should be helping each other grow and be happy. If not for you, I probably would never have made as many friends as I have right now. What have I done for you?"

Ruby smiled again, making the other's shame fade slightly. "You were there just now. You cared enough to follow me out here, and believe me. You helped me a lot back there."

For the first time that day, Weiss smiled. She couldn't say anything, so she just pulled the crimsonette into another tight hug. "Weiss, thanks for listening."

"Dolt." The older huntress seemed to hold a lot more humor in the way she said that word, and she even chuckled a little. "Come on. It looks like we're almost back to Beacon."

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><p><strong>AN: I'm not sure what to say really. Please leave your feedback in the reviews. I'm sure there were some areas that were awkward to read. It helps a lot to see what could be fixed. Also, check out ChaidexVulcan. He's been collaborating with The Asiassassin to create a unique fanfic called From Earth to Remnant. Definitely take a look! Thanks for reading!**


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